Playing a Part
by Lix Storminator
Summary: Here in London, Hermione was hoping to be discovered and this may just be the audition to do it.


So this is something random I've been wanting to write for a while. It's completely AU, but please enjoy! Beware, though, that Hermione is playing the part of a prostitute.

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Hermione frowned up at the sky as rain dripped from the heavy clouds. Today was very important to her and she couldn't believe that her whole career could be ruined just because of the weather. It would make her hair frizz and her makeup run so that her prospective employers would take one look at her and assume that she 'wasn't what they were looking for.' She'd lost count of the amount of interviewers who had told her that at the end of her audition, or even after taking just one look at her. Like it was her fault that her mane of hair just refused to be tamed, or that her face was just pretty and not the best thing they had ever encountered. If they bothered to watch her perform they would know just how stunning an actor she was, but no of course they just go along with their misconceptions.

Of course she'd been hoping for her big break for 2 years, doing a meaningless job until then, just enough to pay the bills on her expensive London flat share. People said that London was where you were found, where people would notice your talent if you did anything creative, but no one in this place had noticed her insignificant existence. Yes, the industry was very competitive, but there must be someone out there who needed someone like her, someone who would always work at 100% and always try her absolute best. She just wanted to be the best she could be, with people who appreciated her for that. Everytime she was turned away from an audition made her wonder if perhaps she should have done that History degree that Oxford offered her. Trouble was, that wasn't who Hermione felt that she was. History wasn't her, it wasn't her choice. Sure, she loved History, unfortunately it just wasn't her passion.

This audition was for a historical-drama that got her really excited. Hopefully they'd see the blossoming actress behind the face, the one who couldn't be more ready to escape. This felt like her role, although so had every other part she'd gone for. Maybe even her last chance. If this fell through, she might just move back home and do that degree. Who knows, maybe that would be where her future lay. Maybe she was just grabbing at straws afterall.

When she reached the audition room, 15 minutes early as always, she checked in then darted to the bathroom quickly to clean the makeup off her face and try and do something about the atrocity that was supposed to be called hair. A quick wring to get all the water out that she could was the best that she could do, leaving her hair in drooping ringlets that were gradually beginning to puff out further and further from her face. In around half an hour it would probably inflate to a giant ball of fluff and she prayed to whatever Gods there were or had ever been that her audition was over by then.

Hermione exited the bathroom and pulled out her script, planning one last frantic read-through, when her name was called 10 minutes earlier than planned. Never had she been more glad for her paranoid planning skills. When she entered the room she was confronted with a long table where 4 people sat, clearly already judging her. Pushing her hair back from her face, she boldly strode up to the table to give them her resume and introduce herself.

"Good morning, I'm Hermione Granger. Here's my resume." She handed over a professionally taken portrait of herself with her few credentials on the back.

"Miss Granger, pleasure to meet you. I'm Lucius Malfoy, Executive Producer of the film." The blond long-haired man with pale, pointed features held out his hand for her to shake and she did so with a large, warm smile upon her face.

"I'm Severus Snape, Director, but I expect you already knew that." This man was black-haired and was sneering disdainfully at her. It made her immediately wary, but she had seen all his other works and loved them so she couldn't help how hopeful she felt.

"It's great to meet you both." Hermione dipped her head respectfully.

The third man in the row held out his hand for her to shake. He held a stunning resemblance to the blond man, just with shorter hair, and Hermione assumed they were related. "Draco Malfoy, star of the show." He was also very flamboyant and she already pegged him as gay.

"It's wonderful to meet you."

The last was a woman, as blonde as the other two judges. Her clothes were obviously expensive and she sat proudly, as if she was worth more than all the rest of the people in the room. "Narcissa Malfoy, script-writer. Charmed, I'm sure." She didn't offer to shake Hermione's hand so she retreated to the middle of the room, awaiting instruction.

Snape was the first to speak. "Miss Granger, we would like you to do a short scene with Draco, the one where you first meet. Obviously here you are still in the prostitution business so this may cause some awkwardness. If you can't handle that you can leave now."

"No, that's absolutely fine. Is this the scene where they meet at the club, or where she's on the streets?"

"In the club, if you please." He raised an eyebrow, as if in challenge, and Hermione would not back down.

She quickly began to strip off her clothes, carefully folding them on one the chairs that encircled the room, until she was done to the silky teddy she had purposely worn beneath her clothes incase they asked her to do this very scene. After she grabbed a chair and placed in the middle of the room. "Mr Malfoy, if you please sit here. I'm sure you'll understand if I skip the pole dancing due to the lack of a pole in this room."

The younger Malfoy looked more than slightly apprehensive as he got up and took a seat on the chair in the middle of the room. He chuckled nervously. "I think considering the situation it would be best if you called me Draco."

"Then why don't you call me Hermione, Draco? Just tell me if you feel uncomfortable by the way." Hermione smiled, before her gaze shifted into something entirely different in front of their eyes. Suddenly she was this whole other character, exactly as Narcissa had imagined.

Although on the outside her gaze was hot, smouldering, a look perfect for a prostitute, beneath the veneer you could see the pain she was suffering, how she absolutely wished she didn't have to be in this seedy club, that she could survive any other way. With a cocky smirk she whirled and leaned over the back of the chair Draco was sat on, offering him a more than ample view of her breasts while breathing into his ear.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I couldn't help but notice you were without company. Would you like some assistance?" So much more was implied in that sentence as she lapped at her prey's pulse point.

"N-no thank you. I'm quite adequate." His cheeks went bright red and he turned his head away from her.

"If you require something less... Soft, shall we say, I know a nice gentleman who could help you." She smoothed a head down his shoulder, as if to calm a shy horse.

"I'm not gay!" Draco jerked himself out of the chair, voice loud and jarring.

"If you wish to talk to someone I can offer that as well." Hermione's gaze turned entreating, begging him to take her offer. "As long as you look like you're enjoying yourself I can listen to whatever troubles you."

"No. No, I can't do that."

"Come on Sir, do a girl a favour." She stood from where she still leaned over the chair. "I'm fed up of being leered out by the old men. Just talk to me, please?"

He sighed and scrubbed at his scalp, looking weary and defeated. "I can't. I have to go, I'm sorry." Withdrawing a wallet he placed a 50 on the chair in-front of him. "For your trouble."

"Thank you, kind Sir." She bowed her head to him before scooping up the note and shoving it into the cup of her teddy.

The board of judges slowly clapped and Hermione jerked as she was cruelly drawn back into reality. "Very good." Snape slowly drawled. "When you can start?"

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Okay, I'm unlikely to write anymore for this, for which I am very sorry, but this is pretty much as far as I wish to take it. Hope you enjoyed!


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